Sunday, June 12, 2016

Semi Final Showdown Beckons After Super Donegal Second Half

Here we go then - Championship!
Regardless of expectations or form, the first Summer day out is always a
bit special. There’s a tingle of excitement in the air and the large crowd
milling around Ballybofey long before throw-in illustrated this.

As you get parked up,
make your way down through the busy main street and hear the grate of the turnstiles upon entering the ground, plenty of memories come to mind of big knockout days gone by. Not long after getting
settled in your seat, you hear familiar voices; you may or may not know these
people by name, you may or may not know from what club they hail but it doesn't
matter - you've sat with them at previous games, heard them roar criticism and
dispense encouragement. You’ve been through it all with them before and now you’re
ready for another shot at glory.

As is now the norm, the
obligatory pre-match changes were announced as the teams warmed up. There was
never really any doubt that Eoin McHugh would start after his fantastic league
campaign. He and cousin Ryan play a central role in one of Donegal’s prime scoring
plans, namely hitting teams on the counter attack.

Some other norms came
to pass at the throw-in as well including Michael Murphy heading straight for
midfield as is now customary in Ulster jousts. He was quick to demonstrate
the benefits of this with a beautifully played pass into Paddy McBrearty, who fired over the game’s opening score. Murphy has a wonderful range of passing and
while his presence in front of goal is missed when he plays deeper, it does
allow him to use other weapons in his considerable arsenal.

The main advantage for
a manager in preparing for the season’s first game is that the opponents are
known since the previous October. That gave Rory Gallagher plenty of time to devise a plan to overcome his native county which primarily centred on pushing
up on the Fermanagh kickout, stationing Anthony Thompson as a sweeper in front
of the twin scoring threat of Tomas Corrigan and Sean Quigley and finally to be
patient with the ball in hand.

It can still be a little
bewildering to hear the Donegal support’s indifferent reaction to the team holding possession
when faced with a blanket defence. Like it or not Donegal, more than any other team, have played
a part in developing this style of play so they know exactly what the other
team are doing.

Fermanagh had a green and white cordon across their 45m line but
Donegal didn’t try to play risky long passes or attempt difficult long range
scores. That is exactly what the defending team wants you to do because even if
a few long range scores go over, that tactic alone will never win a match.

So instead
the hosts were quite happy to keep the ball moving and put into practice what
they have rehearsed over and over on the training field – players running at
different angles to receive passes, taking on a man when one on one with a
defender and playing little one twos around static defenders in order to break
that defensive barricade.

The opening goal came
from this, a delicious give and go instigated by the ever impressive Frank
McGlynn created the crack in the defensive line and Odhran MacNiallais made no
mistake when presented with the opportunity.

Fermanagh had no joy in
breaking down Donegal and were forced into going for some long range efforts. A
couple of exceptional points got them back into the mix but when the big chance
came their way after Neil McGee’s red card they were unable to take it.

McGee was trying to burst out of defence and shrug off any would-be tacklers after
claiming a ball from Quigley but in doing so raised his arm; once that happens
it is an easy decision for a referee to make.

Quigley’s penalty wasn’t
particularly well placed but Mark Anthony McGinley in goal did brilliantly to
not only save but crucially palm it well away from goal and not leave any
chance for onrushing Fermanagh men to tap home a rebound.

Despite his penalty
miss, Quigley seemed to enjoy his afternoon in the company of Eamon McGee. The
two were engaging in plenty of chat as soon as the contest started and
in a modern game where the line between harmless mick-taking and disgusting sledging is a thin one, it was nice to see two lads who looked to be
genuinely having a bit of craic with each other.

The McGee brothers were part of the cohort of Donegal players who were traditional in their choice of footwear
but as for the rest, the multi-coloured offerings on display shows that it is
all about the look these days. The eclectic mixes of pink, yellow and
orange boots certainly didn’t do MacNiallais or the McHughs any harm – the trio
were amongst the standout players on show (literally!).

Goalkeeper McGinley, equally as standout with his resplendant tights, had
a few erratic kickouts throughout the game but made amends with not only the
penalty save but another point blank stop earlier in the half.

With the incentive of playing with an extra man, Fermanagh had a decision to make at half-time
– stick with the plan or change tack and go for it. They chose the latter, pushing much further
forward in the second half, defending with a higher line but all it did was
leave space in behind which Donegal were able to exploit. The Ernemen would
have been better off keeping the game tight, wearing down the team with
fourteen men and making their numerical advantage count in the closing stages.

Donegal’s re-jig on the
other hand worked a treat. Thompson was released from sweeper duty, a move that
invigorated the team. Hugh McFadden took Thompson’s place and for the most part
kept the Donegal goal under lock and key, allowing Thompson to charge forward in
that unfussy manner of his.

Once the first couple
of white flags were raised at the town end of MacCumhaill Park after the change
of ends, Donegal smelt blood. MacNiallais was again on the end of a composed, poised
passage of keep-ball and he had the simplest of tasks to finish to the net.

Plenty more keep-ball followed in the last strecth of the game, Donegal never really looking troubled thereafter.

All in all it was the ideal
performance for a Championship opener – a good test provided by the opposition,
an excellent riposte by Donegal but still plenty to work on ahead of tougher
tests.

The main dampener of
course will be the sending off of McGee as Monaghan lie in wait. One of the enduring
images of last year’s championship was Conor McManus’ tap on McGee’s chest after
scoring a point in the provincial showpiece. There’ll now be no duel between
those two in the semi final in a fortnight and its an unwanted tactical headache
for Rory as he plots his first win as Donegal supremo over the Farney county.